New Delhi, Mar 17: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday revoked with immediate effect the suspension of eight opposition members who were barred from the House on February 3 for “unruly” behaviour, with Speaker Om Birla stressing that there should be no display of placards, posters, photos or AI-generated images inside the House or in the Parliament complex.
Congress member K Suresh requested the House to consider the revocation of the eight opposition members, saying whatever had happened in the House was regrettable, and that his party was ready to cooperate in the smooth functioning of the House.
Following the submissions by several opposition members, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said there was a need to draw a “Laxman Rekha” for the smooth functioning of the House, which both treasury and opposition benches agreed to.
Speaker Birla said there is a need to ensure that no placards, posters, photos or AI-generated images are displayed in the House or inside the Parliament complex.
Birla said that everyone is of the opinion that proceedings in Parliament of the world’s largest democracy should be smooth and everyone should cooperate.
Rijiju then moved a motion to remove the suspension of seven Congress MPs and one CPI-M member, which was adopted by a voice vote.
The suspended MPs were Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Hibi Eden, C Kiran Kumar Reddy, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Prashant Padole and Dean Kuriakose of the Congress, and S Ventakesan of the CPI(M).
Speaking with PTI Videos outside the Parliament building after his suspension was revoked, Manickam Tagore said, “Why did we protest? The question is very simple.”
He said Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to complete his speech on the Motion of Thanks to the President on June 3. After that, the speeches of all the floor leaders of the Samajwadi Party, DMK, TMC, Shiv Sena and the NCP were also skipped, and the proceedings moved to the ruling benches, and, therefore, they protested.
“We said that the Motion of Thanks to the Honourable President is an important process and should not be bypassed. The Leader of the Opposition and all opposition leaders, who represent 240 MPs, cannot be silenced,” he said.
Aujla, whose suspension was also revoked, said India’s democracy stands strongest when voices are heard, not silenced.
“I am proud of the seven fellow MPs who stood strong together in this struggle — We stood united and we will continue to stand for democratic values and the voice of the people,” he said.
The seven Congress MPs first paid homage at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi before entering the Lok Sabha.
Speaking with PTI Videos outside the Parliament building, Congress MP Prashant Padole said, “Truth has prevailed. Going forward, we will raise the issues of the people in Parliament and continue to fight for their rights…
“Whatever it takes, we are ready, even if it costs us our lives. The concerns of ordinary citizens and matters of national interest must be addressed properly.”
Asked about the revocation of suspension and the call for upholding the dignity of the House, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra told reporters, “Dignity should be maintained by both sides.”
The eight MPs were suspended on February 3 for “unruly” behaviour following a resolution passed by the Lok Sabha in the first half of the ongoing Budget session.
They were suspended for the entire duration of the Budget session scheduled to conclude on April 2.
Earlier, after Suresh’s submission, Samajwadi Party member Dharmendra Yadav supported the move, saying his party was ready to cooperate in maintaining the highest standards of Parliament.
“I want to assure the House that we will not do anything that hurts the dignity of the House. But the ruling alliance members should also behave properly,” Yadav said, taking the name of BJP’s Nishikant Dubey, whom he asked to “correct himself”.
Dubey immediately refuted Yadav, saying that during his 17 years of Parliamentary career, he has not done anything that lowered the dignity of the House. The BJP MP also demanded an apology from the Samajwadi Party MP for his remarks.
NCP leader Supriya Sule said efforts should be made by both ruling and opposition members so that the House functions smoothly.
“No one should make any personal comments on anyone. We (opposition) should respect the treasury benches, which should also respect the opposition. There should be a ‘Laxman Rekha’ which no one should breach,” she said.
JD(U) leader and Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh said the House should function smoothly and both sides should cooperate.
Rijiju said the ruling alliance members will not break rules nor have they ever broken rules in the past. “A ‘Laxman Rekha’ should be drawn. People did not elect us to disrupt House proceedings or stage protests. The House should function smoothly with everyone’s cooperation,” Rijiju said.
Suresh said that since Monday, the opposition members have not shown any placards or banners, and that they are ready to cooperate in the proper functioning of the House.
